Chapter 1: Manaloch, the City of Magic

Chapter 1:
Manaloch, the City of Magic

 

—1—

 

A WEEK AFTER I DEFEATED the Evil Priest Notts, Arroburg was finally starting to settle back into a routine.

It was public knowledge that the humanoid dragon had come to the city and cast the terrible barrier spell that came so close to killing everyone. People also knew that he had been lurking inside Lord Grand’s mansion when he cast the spell. The only piece of the puzzle still missing was the matter of Grand’s complicity. Most people were choosing to believe that he had been a victim in the scheme, rather than a willing participant.

“But that’s not true, is it?” asked Pomera as she sat next to me in the back of a horse-drawn wagon.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I replied. “Grand was dead by the time I found him. But from what Notts said, it sounded like Grand tried to cut some sort of deal before he was betrayed.”

“Why would everyone assume he was innocent?”

“Because besides you and me, no one knows for sure…and it’s more convenient for everyone if Grand was a victim instead of a villain. The lord coming to take Grand’s place is one of his relatives. If the king thought Grand might have had a hand in the attack, then his entire family would be suspect. They might even be executed.”

After chatting with other adventurers at the Guild for the past week, I’d learned that the king took a very dim view of treason. And it was within his rights to punish Grand’s entire family just to make an example of them. It might send a strong message to kill the whole lot, but if leadership wasn’t restored soon, Arroburg would descend into chaos. The situation after the attack was already bad enough, so maybe it was better to just look the other way.

Even so, I doubted that anyone was willfully trying to cover up the truth. Only one person knew for sure what had happened in the mansion, and I wasn’t telling anyone.

“I still can’t believe it though…” muttered Pomera. “I can’t believe that Notts summoned an evil god…and you managed to defeat it so quickly.”

“To be fair, it wasn’t a god. Notts summoned a homunculus. His ancestors were alchemists, not priests. Over the years, they just started acting like they had religious authority because the power was too good to pass up. Anyway, we shouldn’t be talking about this too much in public. Things could get complicated for us if someone overheard,” I said with a glance toward the driver’s seat.

After all the trouble in Arroburg, Pomera and I decided it was time to hit the road. With Grand gone, Arroburg’s Adventurers’ Guild was effectively shut down, and there wasn’t much incentive to hang around the city. Better to let the past be the past and make a fresh start in a new town.

We were headed to somewhere that might have the resources we needed—the City of Magic, Manaloch.

After all of our power-leveling work, we were running critically low on elixirs. Arroburg’s selection of alchemy ingredients was just terrible, and there was no way we could get back on a serious training program until we made more Blood Ethers of the Gods. For a few minutes, I had even contemplated going back to Cocytus. While I ultimately decided that would be too extreme, we still needed those elixirs so Pomera could keep learning new spells and gaining levels.

No matter what, we needed to keep power leveling Pomera. She was barely at the point where Lovis wouldn’t pose a threat, not to mention Notts. People of that strength weren’t particularly common, but they were out there. Pomera needed to keep stacking levels for her own safety.

And so, we joined up with a caravan headed to Manaloch.

Passage between cities was potentially dangerous with all the monsters lurking around Locklore. So, adventurers, merchants, and townsfolk would band together to make the trip in relative safety. Adventurers provided the muscle in case anything went wrong, and merchants paid handsomely for the protection.

I had been ready to make the trip with just the three of us, since I was sure that nothing out on the plains could pose a threat to us. But after her rise to fame as Saint Pomera in Arroburg, a group of merchants tracked my partner down and asked her to accompany their caravan. They were going the same direction that we wanted to travel in, and they were willing to pay us to ride along. That sounded like a good deal to everyone involved.

“Kanata! Kanata! There’s a huge birdie outside!” said Philia excitedly as she pulled back the wagon’s curtain and peered out.

“Kanata, how long do you plan to keep that little girl with you?” asked Pomera, suspiciously eyeing Philia, who was playing next to me. “Since it’s you, I know you must have a good reason…but it just seems weird. It’s like you’re hiding something. I mean, how exactly did you meet her?”

“It’s, uh, tough to explain. All I can say is that I can’t leave her alone her right now,” I said.

I couldn’t very well have left her in Arroburg. We’d worked too hard to save the town to leave it to that kind of fate.

Philia looked like a cute kid, but she was actually Zolophilia—ancient homunculus and God of Terror, resurrected by the Evil Priest Notts. His ancestors had placed her under a curse that removed her free will so they could make her into a god, but my Karma Breaker spell had removed said curse. That left me with a grade-schooler who could cast Gravity Bomb when she got annoyed.

“Ph-Philia, don’t lean out! It’s dangerous! The wagon is moving really fast!” said Pomera, reaching out to pull Philia back from the window.

The wagons in Locklore were astoundingly quick. The transportation industry used high-level horses to pull cargo across long distances at speeds that rivaled cars and trucks back in Japan. I was pretty sure I could run even faster, but I wasn’t going to turn down a ride.

“Kanata, you need to keep a better eye on Philia. She’s so full of…curiosity. She could hurt herself if you aren’t paying attention,” scolded Pomera.

“She’ll be fine,” I said.

“F-fine?!”

Heck, Philia could fall out of the wagon and I don’t think she’d even feel it. When we’d fought in Arroburg, I’d cut her to pieces and she’d just kept regenerating and coming back for more. If she took a tumble, she’d probably just chase along behind us like it was some kind of game.

The sound of a whistle coming from the rearmost wagon cut our conversation short. Our wagon pulled to a stop and the driver popped his head inside to talk to us.

“That’s the alarm from the monster’s shell. Sounds like we’ve got trouble. Saint Pomera, if you don’t mind tending to it.” The merchant bowed his head.

“Please stop calling me that! It makes me feel very uncomfortable…” said Pomera, her face growing red.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea…”

“Yes, please don’t call me that. Besides, Kanata is so much stronger than me.”

“Is that so?” the merchant looked at me dubiously. “I just thought he was your attendant or something.”

“I-I’m just a normal adventurer!” insisted Pomera. “Everyone is just exaggerating the story of what happened!”

She was only right in a relative sense. Both Philia and I were far more powerful than Pomera, but she was head and shoulders above any other adventurer on the caravan.

“Let’s go,” I said, pulling back the wagon’s curtain and shooing Philia outside. I was hoping to get Pomera away from this uncomfortable conversation as quickly as possible.

“Shouldn’t the little girl stay in the wagon?” asked the merchant.

“Well, she’s the kind of kid who gets into trouble unless I keep tabs on her,” I said with a lame grin as I lifted Philia onto my back. He didn’t seem to buy it, but I didn’t stick around to argue the point. I walked toward the rear of the caravan as Pomera came running after us.

“Kanata, are you sure you should be taking Philia with you?” Pomera kept her voice at a whisper. “I can’t imagine you’d fail to protect her, but you never know what might happen.”

“I’m more worried about what would happen if I left her behind.”

“What exactly do you think she is…?”

Oh, just a level 1,800 homunculus with the power to shapeshift into any form she wants and the self-control of a fifth grader.

“Philia’s super strong!” said Philia proudly with an unconvincing curl of her bicep. Pomera looked at her with only worry in her eyes.

I looked around. All eight wagons had come to a stop, and adventurers were running to the last one in the line. A pack of fanged apes—large, white-haired gorillas with huge canines—were doing battle with anyone who approached. It was my first time seeing them, but I’d heard details at the Guild. They were extremely territorial D-rank monsters who liked to chase down caravans and attack them on open terrain.

But we had plenty of adventurers; this fight was not going to be a tough one.

“Let’s just take out our fair share of the monsters without standing out too much,” I quietly suggested as two of the apes rushed toward us.

We could have taken care of the whole group without breaking a sweat, but that would have blown our cover. Since we were trying to keep a fairly low profile, we just needed to pull our weight and keep people from complaining.

A thought occurred to me. “Since you’ve got the opportunity, why don’t you try practicing your spirit magic in a real battle, Pomera-san?”

Spirit magic was cast by borrowing power from local spirits of the land. It was fiddly and took longer to cast than other schools of magic, but a skilled user could cast higher-level spells than their level might normally allow, as well as use up less of their magic power in the process. A few low-level opponents would make perfect target practice.

“O-okay! I’ll try it out!” Pomera gripped her staff tightly. “Spirit Magic Level 8: Salamander’s Claws!”

A wave of fiery claws launched toward the apes. They carved deep, blackened gouges into the ground and engulfed one of the monsters in flame before slashing its body into two halves. The burning remains collapsed to the ground, smoldering.

I heard a commotion from caravan. Someone had noticed her wanton display of power.

“Maybe you should have used a slightly lower-leveled spell,” I said.

“I-I’m sorry…” Pomera began to apologize before frowning with a huff. “I-It’s at least half your fault that I can’t control my strength.”

While Pomera stared at me with narrowed eyes and red cheeks, the remaining fanged ape lunged to attack. As it leapt through the air, it opened its jaws menacingly to show its terrible fangs.

“Spirit Magic—” Pomera began to form a magic circle, but the monster was too close for her to finish.

“Eeek!” She panicked and instinctively thrust her staff forward.

“Grargh?!”

Pomera’s staff pierced the ape’s chest. With her eyes squeezed shut, she whipped the staff and the attached ape over her shoulder. The hapless monster’s head slammed into the ground, smashing it open and spraying blood and brains across the roadside.

“Th-that was close… It scared me.” She shook the blood and bits off her staff. Then she sadly muttered, “I’m not sure I even need magic anymore.”

“Don’t say that! What if you find yourself surrounded by level 300 opponents?” I warned.

“I-Is that even possible outside of the Cursed Mirror?” asked Pomera.

Technically, that was only possible outside the Cursed Mirror. All the horrors that lived in the Warped Realm were well over level 3,000. Pomera didn’t have Status Check, so she had no way of knowing, and I didn’t think it was a good time to clarify.

“Anyway, good job, Pomera-san. Looks like the rest of the adventurers have the problem in hand. Let’s head back to the wagon,” I said.

“Philia wants to fight too!” whined the girl on my back, winding herself up to throw a tantrum. “It’s not fair! You’re only saying nice things to Pomera!”

Just as it seemed like we had victory in the bag, I sensed an overwhelmingly evil presence making its way toward the caravan. The apes has just been a distraction as it moved in on us.

“Something’s coming…” I said as I drew my sword.

The surface of the ground broke open and a pitch-black spider scuttled up from the earth. It was about the size of a dog and had a single glowing red eye.

I closed in and swung, slicing the spider in two and turning its body to powdery brown sand that blew away in the breeze.

“Its level wasn’t that high…” I muttered. The Heroic Sword of Gilgamesh tended to turn most low-level enemies into dust. It was a really cool effect, but inconvenient when trying to collect monster parts to sell at the Guild.

“Yay, Kanata! You’re so awesome!” cheered Philia, still clinging to my shoulders.

“Wh-what happened, Kanata?” asked Pomera as she walked closer to look at the hole in the ground. “It’s rare for you to draw your sword outside of the Cursed Mirror…”

“Well… I had a really bad feeling and wanted to be extra cautious…”

I sheathed my sword and took a knife out of my magic bag. Usually, I used it for skinning monsters or extracting items from them, but it would do as a weapon for now. Fighting barehanded drew too much attention. It also had a tendency to get really messy if I couldn’t properly pull my punches.

“A bad feeling? I’m not sure what that monster was, but it looked like some sort of burrowing spider. It was creepy, sure, but was it really that dangerous?” asked Pomera.

“I think I can sense more of them still underground…”

Screams erupted around us. At least fifty spiders surfaced in a sudden wave, surrounding the gathered adventurers.

“A monster stampede?! Wh-why is this happening here?” cried Pomera.

These monsters evidently worked as a pack. But I was surprised that Pomera didn’t seem to know what they were—I would have expected monsters with this level of coordination to be common knowledge for adventurers. I used Status Check on one of the distant spiders.

 

Race: Ragno

Lv: 24

HP: 91/91

MP: 84/84

 

So would a group of them be a bunch of ragnos? I thought to myself, but that sounded funny. What about a bunch of ragni? Yeah, that’s better.

Anyway… They were right around the same strength as a D-rank adventurer. Most of the adventurers in the caravan were D-ranked, and that meant we were badly outnumbered.

If I took care of the problem single-handedly, I risked drawing the attention of travelers from other worlds or another humanoid dragon. But I couldn’t just stand there and watch adventurers die to keep my secret.

“We’ve got to reduce their numbers and give the others a fighting chance,” I said.

“U-understood!” Pomera readied her staff. She seemed like she was planning to cast a spirit magic spell with a wide area of effect.

A group of about twenty ragni were warily coming our way. Maybe they were being cautious because I’d killed their scout.

Good.

“We’ll cut these down quickly, then split up to help the other adventurers!”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Philia raise her arms high while still riding on my back.

A rainbow danced through the sky before turning into a dragon with green skin and a red, root-like pattern running across its scales. I’d seen it before. From its large wings to its wicked claws, this was Drigvesha, the dragon that I’d faced in Grand’s mansion. It wasn’t wearing a mask, but it was definitely one of the forms Zolophilia had taken.

“Philia-chan, wait! Calm down! Make that go away!” I cried.

“First Dragon go boom!” Philia dropped her arms and the beast swooped toward the spiders. It rent the earth, shredding any ragni in its path.

“Look at what Philia can do! Philia’s amazing, right?” She waved her arms up and down while giggling.

I stood there frozen, my hands covering my face.

When I laid out my plan for Pomera, Philia must have thought I was talking to her too. She all too happily jumped in on the action.

The other ragni realized that it was time to run, and they stopped fighting to flee back underground. As they did, the dragon faded into a shimmering light and disappeared.

Then the other adventurers started panicking.

“What… What just happened?!”

“There was a dragon! We have to get away from here immediately!”

If the adventurers scattered now, the merchants and townsfolk they left behind would surely panic too. For the sake of the caravan, I had to try and get the situation back under control.

“C-calm down everyone! It looks like the dragon’s gone!” I shouted loudly to the other adventurers, but I didn’t see any signs of them calming. I was trying to figure out what to do when an older male adventurer turned to us.

“Was that a spirit you summoned, Saint Pomera?” he asked.

“Wh-what?!” she replied. She had frozen in place where she stood, her staff raised. Everyone went silent and focused on her.

From the position of her staff, it looked like Pomera had been in the middle of casting a spell. The man clearly assumed that was how the dragon had appeared.

“U-uh, uh…I’m sorry! I don’t even know…umm, uh…” Pomera managed to stammer before the sound of cheers and applause filled the air. Pomera’s face turned bright red and she cringed under the weight of the attention.

I felt bad for her, but at least no one was panicking. I controlled my expression and started clapping like everyone else to keep up appearances. Philia clapped too, but I don’t think she knew why.

 

—2—

 

CRISIS AVERTED, the caravan continued on its way to Manaloch.

“I’m really sorry, Pomera-san. It looks like you ended up with more attention than you bargained for,” I said to Pomera as I bowed.

“It’s all right.” Her expression seemed caught between different emotions. “A-actually, I have no idea if it’s all right or not.”

In the past few days, she’d become the hero of Arroburg for healing the people of the city and destroying Notts’s barrier. Now she was being credited as a master summoner who could call forth a massive dragon spirit.

“It’s just…who, or what, exactly is Philia?” Pomera looked at the little girl uneasily.

I needed to tell the truth; otherwise, it would be really hard to keep adventuring together while keeping Philia’s secret. The cat was halfway out of the bag, but I wanted to make sure Philia was okay with me telling Pomera before I did.

As usual, Philia was entertaining herself by looking out the side window. I looked in her direction and cleared my throat. She turned to face me and smiled sweetly—it was cute, but also kind of unsettling.

“Philia-chan, I’d like to tell Pomera-san about you. Is that all right?” I asked. Philia’s smile disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

She seemed to be considering her answer. I had no idea what memories remained after five thousand years spent as Zolophilia, the God of Terror. If she had any, they surely weren’t good ones.

Philia’s face lit up with a smile again, and she scooted across the bench to cuddle beside me.

“Philia-chan, did you hear me?” I asked.

She looked back at me, before saying with a grin, “Philia doesn’t know anything about this complicated stuff. Kanata can decide everything for Philia!”

Notts’s ancestors really did a number on her. I wasn’t entirely sure if she understood what she was. Maybe it was comforting to have me around to make tough decisions for her, no matter how high her level might be.

Then she sort of fell over, leaning onto me. She closed her eyes and sighed comfortably, worn out from the excitement of the fight. Maybe I was overthinking this. In any case, she’d given her permission. I could make this choice to tell Pomera what she needed to know.

“Philia-chan is a person…from a long time ago,” I began. “Notts’s ancestors sealed her away, but she came back when we fought in Arroburg.”

“Huh…?” Pomera’s eyes grew round.

“Notts was planning to use Philia-chan to destroy the kingdom. He forced her to fight against me and it almost caught me off guard. I still won, but she gave me a run for my money. At least for a few minutes.”

I’d never expected she would grow four copies of me during that fight.

Pomera was silent, her mouth agape.

“Pomera-san?”

“If she could keep up with you even a little, doesn’t that make here a horrifying monster?”

“Pomera-san, what do you think of me?”

Pomera clamped her hand over her mouth, mortified by what she’d just said.

“Philia-chan has no intention of fighting now,” I continued, trying to take the pressure off Pomera. “Thousands of years ago, Notts’s ancestors placed her under curse so they could control her. I removed that, though. She has her own free will now.”

“Yeah, but…a-are you sure it’s okay?” Pomera asked, looking uneasy.

I understood why Pomera was afraid. I’d mulled over what to do about Philia the night I faced Notts. I had been unable to bring myself to kill her, and leaving her behind would’ve been like leaving a time bomb in Arroburg. The only responsible option was to bring her along.

Philia let out a soft sigh, and her head slipped sideways onto my knee. She seemed comfortable and smiled in her sleep. Pomera wasn’t a fan of the situation, but her expression softened at the sight.

“I understand why you’re uneasy, but I can’t just abandon her,” I said.

“I suppose you’re right,” said Pomera with a small nod.

 

—3—

 

THE REST OF THE WAGON JOURNEY was largely uneventful. Five days after setting off from Arroburg, another city came into view, with pointed roofs peeking over the tall city walls.

“That’s Manaloch, isn’t it?” I asked.

“I guess so,” said Pomera. “I’ve never been this far from Arroburg. It looks like a place that would have a lot magic stores and research groups, though.”

“Hmm… Lunaère-san would probably like to come here too,” I murmured to myself.

The city was amazingly beautiful, and I wished I could show it to her, but she had that unholy impurity to worry about. It just wasn’t realistic for her to come here in person. That was a shame.

“Kanata?” said Pomera, and I snapped back to reality.

“Eh, sorry. I was lost in thought for a second there. Did you say something?”

“No. I mean…it’s just, this Lunaère was your magic teacher, right?” Pomera’s voice seemed mistrustful as she asked.

“Yeah. Not just in magical theory, but in how to fight using magic and a sword as well. Why do you ask?” Maybe she thought I was making it all up.

“No reason, you just seem so…passionate when you talk about Lunaère.”

“She did save my life.”

“And you’ve said she’s a lady, right? How old is she?”

“A thou—” I caught myself before I gave her true age. I wasn’t sure how much Pomera knew about the undead, but knowing that she was a thousand years old could give away that Lunaère was a lich. As much as I wanted to tell Pomera the truth, that wasn’t a rumor I wanted to start. I rethought my answer. “I think she’s around eighty.”

“Oh! She’s getting up there then.” Pomera sighed in relief.

I felt like I’d just dug a hole for myself without meaning to. But it wasn’t like Pomera and Lunaère would ever meet each other in person. I figured it would be fine.

“Why do you ask?”

“O-oh! No reason. Just curious.” Pomera’s face turned red and she looked away, but she seemed satisfied. And that was the most important thing.

 

—4—

 

A SHORT TIME LATER, we reached Manaloch, and the caravan broke up as the various merchants and adventurers went their separate ways.

“Thank you so very much. I am so glad you traveled with us, Pomera,” said a merchant as he bowed his head to her again and again.

“I-It’s no big deal. I’m not anything special…” Pomera shrank away from even light praise.

“And you’re so humble! To think we had a hero like you in Arroburg all this time!”

Pomera’s cheeks glowed bright red as she glanced at me for help. I couldn’t do much, given the situation. There was no way I could explain what had really happened in Lord Grand’s mansion, or how Notts had summoned a man-made God of Terror. I felt bad for Pomera, but I also really wished she wouldn’t get so anxious every time she got a little attention.

“Pomera looks like she’s in trouble…” murmured Philia, holding onto the sleeve of my robe. She seemed oblivious to the fact that her summoned dragon was half of what had put Pomera in this situation to begin with.

“Philia-chan, I’m happy you used the First Dragon because you ended up saving people,” I whispered, “But please don’t use the dragon again where people can see it”

“Sorry… Philia got excited, but she understands.” She hung her head and buried her face in my robe. “Philia won’t use the First Dragon where people can see.”

“I’m glad you understand.” I stroked her head.

I was relieved. It was good if she could keep herself from tossing out the First Dragon in situations where we might stand out. It was even better if she understood why I was asking her to do that.

Some of the other merchants and adventurers were starting to gather around Pomera.

“Please let us express our thanks as well!”

“If you weren’t there, we would never have made it to Manaloch in one piece!”

“N-no, no, I didn’t do anything…” Pomera blushed and she started to panic. The situation was turning into her own personal nightmare as more and more people gathered to thank and praise her.

“Hey, half-elf girl!” said a man in robes and a pointed black hat as he approached Pomera. Given the quality of his gear, I guessed he was a C-rank adventurer or higher.

“To be honest, I thought the stories were all baloney. I got to Arroburg just after things went down and heard all about how a low-level adventurer removed the Evil Priest Notts’s barrier and saved hundreds of people in the city. I laughed and thought everyone in that city was a moron. But jeez, turns out I’m the one who was an idiot! You really saved our bacon in that caravan.”

“Ah! Well…o-oh dear!” Pomera was working herself into a full-on panic attack.

I decided it was time to get us away from there. I clawed my way through the crowd and took Pomera by her arm.

“Shall we go see about that urgent business, Pomera-san? Remember, we’ve got some urgent business, right? Thank you so much, everyone!”

“Wait, I’ve got something I need to talk about with Pomera!” said the man with the pointed hat.

I dropped my shoulder and pushed a path through the crowd, Pomera hurrying along in my wake. Philia followed as well, running along like she was having fun. We jogged for a little bit before we stopped.

“I think we’re clear,” I said.

“Kanata, how long is this situation going to last?” asked Pomera as she wrung her hands pathetically.

“I’m really sorry, Pomera-san. I thought for sure it would get better once we left Arroburg…”

We heard a cry of joy from nearby. Pomera jumped in surprise at the sound and looked around warily.

By coincidence, we’d stumbled across the Adventurers’ Guild, and now people were pouring out of the guild hall to greet a tall man with long blond hair as he approached.

“Alfred! You’ve returned after completing your mission!”

“Were you able to defeat the red troll?”

“Come now, no need for all this commotion,” the blond man—Alfred, apparently—replied. “Taking on two red trolls all by myself isn’t that big a deal.”

“What?! You defeated two red trolls?!”

The cheers increased in volume.

“Please don’t block Alfred’s path, we’re very busy!” said a swordswoman at Alfred’s side. She tried to shoo the surrounding adventurers away.

“All this fuss over a couple measly red trolls,” complained Alfred. “This city isn’t what I expected. To think I was excited to hear there was an S-rank adventurer in Manaloch… But now I’ve learned she’s half-retired. Pah! Her level probably isn’t as high as I had hoped either.”

He seemed pretty strong, but his arrogance was off the charts.

“I know it’s not about me…” Pomera puffed a sigh of relief as she pressed on her beret. “…But this is also kind of embarrassing to watch.”

I really felt bad for her. She was so traumatized that now she was getting worked up watching someone else get praise.

While she was having sympathy anxiety for Alfred, I decided to try and sneak a Status Check on the big adventurer. I still wasn’t sure if people could detect when I used it on them, but with the huge crowd gathered outside the Guild, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to trace it back to me.

 

ALFRED ALGOBERT

Race: Human

Lv: 76

HP: 274/289

MP: 243/266

 

Huh, he’s not that big of a deal…

It turned out he wasn’t even half Lovis’s level. Seriously, Lovis! The more I used Status Check, the less I understood the standards of this world.

“What’s wrong, Kanata?” Pomera saw my befuddled look and knew something was amiss.

“Oh no, it’s nothing. Really.”

 

—5—

 

WE FOUND A SET of rooms to rent and took a few hours to settle in. Then I took Pomera and Philia on a trip around Manaloch to try and find ingredients for the elixir. While that was a critical task, I had to admit that it was fun just walking around the city and looking at the streets lined with tall buildings and pointed roofs. Manaloch had a really mystical atmosphere that made it a blast to explore.

“Oh look, there’s a cat-shaped weathervane! Or perhaps I should call it a weathercat!”

“I still don’t really know what you’re looking for, Kanata, but it’s bound to be here somewhere. This place is considered the holy land for magic users,” said Pomera.

“I want ingredients for that elixir, the one I called a Blood Ether. I wasn’t able to find the right items back in Arroburg.”

“Ether? I’m not sure which one that was…”

“It’s the green potion I gave you in the Mirror,” I said.

Its full name was the Blood Ether of the Gods.

 

BLOOD ETHER OF THE GODS

Value Class: Legendary

An elixir. Active ingredient: concentrated brain matter of high-level demons.

It is said to have a composition similar to the atmosphere in the gods’ realm, and it is rumored than an arch-mage once discovered hidden truths of this world after drinking it.

The drinker receives increased spell efficiency and greatly recovers MP.

 

Lunaère had given me a ton of them when I left Cocytus. They both recovered your magic power and sharpened your focus. As long as we had a steady supply, we could keep firing off spells in the Cursed Mirror of the Warped Realm with no downtime at all. It was perfect for power leveling.

During my training, I’d drunk so much of the elixir that I managed to poison myself.

“Oh. That.” Pomera rubbed her stomach with a pained smile. “Yeah… You made me drink them until my belly got all sloshy.”

“Without them, we can’t keep raising your level in the Cursed Mirror.”

Pomera’s expression tensed. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “K-Kanata…I thought we were done raising my level?”

“Huh? Oh, no. We’re just taking a break because I was running low on elixirs. Don’t worry, we’ll start again once we settle in.”

“D-don’t you think my level is high enough? I’m already over level 200…” Pomera pointed a shaking finger at herself.

“You can probably get by as an adventurer around level 200… But if you’re attacked by Lovi—er, a bandit outside the city, you might be in over your head. We need to raise your level as quickly as possible.”

Lovis wasn’t at level 200, but he traveled with subordinates. Pomera needed to be at least level 250 to be able to hold off a group of those jerks without trouble. And there were plenty of dangerous people with a higher level than Lovis.

They weren’t common, no, but in the short time since I’d left Cocytus, I’d fought Lovis, Notts, and Zolophilia. Zolophilia had even jumped up to level 3,000 at the end, but I was pretty sure that was a special case that I’d never run into again. In other words, if Pomera was level 3,000, I wouldn’t have to worry about her at all.

“Bandits?! Assuming my understanding is correct, someone around level 200 would be an epic warrior known throughout the region.”

She wasn’t wrong. Lovis was sort of famous…he had wanted posters, anyway.

“Philia wants to drink ethers, too!” said Philia, bouncing around in excitement.

I had a sudden mental image of her chugging ethers like juice boxes while chain-casting Gravity Bombs inside the Mirror.

Philia was already level 1,800 and her idea of playing a game was summoning an ancient dragon. To top it off, she seemed to be able to learn any spell merely by observing someone else while they cast it. I wanted Philia to be safe…but I also wanted to keep the city safe from her. Maybe we could power level her when she demonstrated a little more self-control.

“Th-they don’t taste very nice,” I said, trying to dissuade her.

“But Philia wants to try them!”

“…All right. Once I get some made, I can let you have a little sip. Okay?”

“Promise, Kanata? Yay! Promise!” Philia giggled happily.

“What are the ingredients for the ether?” asked Pomera.

I took the Acacia Memoirs from my magic bag and flipped through the pages. To look up something new in the grimoire, I had to have the object right in front of me. But if I needed to reference something I’d looked up before, all I had to do was think of the item and the book would open to the right page.

I used my finger to hold the page open while showing Pomera. Philia craned her neck to look too.

“The main ingredient is the brain of a demon. We can get plenty of those in the Cursed Mirror. Other than that, I need this …”

 

SAP OF THE SPIRIT TREE

Value Rank: A

A drop of sap from Yggdrasil, the World Tree, said to be the source of all spirits.

It has a powerful healing effect and is valued for its alchemical uses. It can be obtained by making a pact with a high-ranking spirit who has received permission from the Spirit King to reside within the tree.

 

“And we also need to find this…”

 

ADAMANTINE ORE

Value Rank: S

An ore with shining streaks of a purplish hue. Adamant is said to be the strongest naturally occurring material known to the human world. It is resistant to all types of magic.

The ore forms naturally along ley lines as metal nodes are exposed to high levels of magic over extended periods of time.

 

“I’ll need some other stuff, but these are the probably going to be the toughest to find. Everything else I can substitute, if that becomes necessary,” I said.

Pomera’s face grew serious as she looked at the pages of the Acacia Memoirs. “Sap of the Spirit Tree and adamantine ore…?”

“Yep. If this place is the holy land for magic users, then they’re bound to be here somewhere.”

“M-maybe. Umm, but those ingredients seem really specific…” Pomera looked around the street with uncertainty. “Well, let’s just look around first. I’ve never been to Manaloch before. Maybe they do have it.”

 

—6—

 

I DRAGGED POMERA AND PHILIA into yet another magic shop, the Witch Ring. It had rows of fancy glass cases showcasing necklaces and other items. There hadn’t been any sort of doorman, but almost immediately, we started to get the feel of the place. All the other customers were obviously very wealthy, and a pair of adventurers with a little girl in tow drew a lot of stares.

“K-Kanata, did we all really have to come in together? I feel like we kind of stick out…” Pomera tried to hide behind me as she walked.

I wanted to tell her she was worrying too much, but I was getting a bad vibe as well. There were whispers and giggles. Other customers glanced at us with disgusted expressions before heading to a different floor of the store. If I hadn’t been dead set on getting the ingredients for the Blood Ethers, I probably would have left immediately.

Before this, we’d been to three other shops with no luck. One of those shopkeepers had indicated that this store had the best chance of stocking the things I was looking for, so we’d made a beeline for the Witch Ring. I hadn’t expected it to be this high-end, though.

“Wow! Pretty!” Philia seemed oblivious to the hostility and made a move to snatch a necklace from a display stand. I quickly grabbed her arm as gently as I could.

“Not here! Not now!” I whispered desperately and heard a snicker from another customer nearby. Pomera was right; I should have come in alone.

Someone cleared their throat. Looking up, I saw a woman with blue hair so dark it looked almost black. A pair of silver glasses were perched on her nose, and on her ultramarine robe was a badge of blue crystal, emblazoned with a golden ring.

“My name is Riva. May I assist you in finding whatever it is you’re looking for?” she curtly asked.

“I’m sorry for the noise…” I said with a bow, and she let out a huff.

“And I’m sorry that you’ve wasted your time by visiting the Witch Ring. I don’t believe that traveling adventurers such as yourselves appreciate the true value of our goods. The objects here are curated and prepared for the researchers of Manaloch—who, day in and day out, toil to uncover the secrets of alchemy.” Riva seemed annoyed as her arm swept to indicate the glass cases. “Perhaps I can direct you to a suitable general goods store?”

“Well, I’m looking for something specific…” I said.

“Fine, what is it then?” asked Riva with disdain.

“It’s…an ore.”

Sap of the Spirit Tree was something I might be able to find while adventuring, provided I could make contact with the right spirits. Adamantine ore, on the other hand was going to be tougher. I had no idea how mining worked in Locklore, but I was sure that an S-ranked mineral was probably easier to buy than it was to find.

“An ore, you say?” Riva sighed heavily and turned away from us. “This way please.”

I bowed slightly and followed Riva. In turn, I was followed by Pomera, who looked like she was getting close to another panic attack. Philia still seemed in high spirits and paused to gawk at anything shiny, much to Pomera’s dismay.

“The Witch Ring’s policy is to attend to all customers, no matter how clueless or rude—even if they’re goblins. If you believe you have business here, then we must strive to provide appropriate service.” Riva flatly recited as she led the way.

I wonder if it’s the Witch Ring’s policy to compare their customers to goblins?

Eventually, she stopped in front of a glass case and spread her hands over it with a bored look on her face.

“All our ores are in this case. Have a look,” she muttered.

I saw a sparkling blue stone, about an inch in diameter.

“Oh, is this what you were looking for? This is—”

“Blue Moon,” I said. It was an ore with a pale blue shine. It was everywhere in Cocytus. I’d nearly been flattened by a boulder of the stuff while gathering dinner ingredients with Lunaère once.

“Y-you’ve heard of it. Well…it will make our conversation move more quickly. As you can see, this shop deals solely in high-end items. I’m sure whatever you are looking for barely compares—”

“If I remember correctly, Blue Moon is only a D-rank item. I was hoping for something more…”

Riva didn’t say anything, but her expression soured.

I had a terrible feeling that I’d said the wrong thing. But this was a high-end magic shop; surely they had high-end items? D-rank wasn’t particularly impressive. If the Witch Ring didn’t have adamantine ore, then I didn’t know where else I was going to look. My goal to make more elixirs was starting to seem unachievable.

“Uh, so the thing I’m looking for… I was actually looking for something a little bit higher ranked…” I said.

“Excuse me?” A crease appeared between Riva’s eyebrows.

“W-well… Maybe you have a case in the back or something?”

“It’s so pretty! Kanata, Kanata! Philia wants this, it’s so cool!” said Philia, her eyes locked on a necklace with a Blue Moon gem set in it.

“Well, it can’t be that much, I could probably buy it for you,” I said, leaning in for a better look. The price tag listed it at 340,000 gold. There was no way that could be right, so I leaned in closer to read it again. “Whoa! They’re charging how much?! For Blue Moon?!”

That would blow through all our savings. It was a pretty necklace, but over three hundred grand felt like a rip-off for a D-rank gem. If it sold at that price, I wished I had filled a magic bag with the stuff while I was still in Cocytus.

In fact, it occurred to me that if this was a fair market price for Blue Moon, then I needed to consider pawning off some of the magic items I’d collected over the past few weeks. I wasn’t about to sell the items that Lunaère had given me, but the Lovis’s compass was fair game. It was just an A-rank item, after all.

“K-Kanata, I think you may have said that a bit too loudly…” Pomera’s whispered warning shook me out of my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Riva’s face was bright red, her nose crinkled in rage as she glowered at me.

“S-sorry! The shop is wonderful, and I’m sure that your prices are very fair!”

“Get out, you ignorant ape!” Riva grabbed a wand from a nearby and started to wave it at me.

Didn’t she just say she’d even provide service to a crude goblin a few seconds ago?!

“Let’s go!” I grabbed Pomera with my left hand while pinching the wand between the fingers of my right hand. I gently twisted the wand from Riva’s grip and dropped it to the floor without breaking it.

I quietly congratulated myself on my increasing skill at holding back as I pulled Pomera and Philia from the Witch Ring.

 

—7—

 

“EVEN THE HIGH-END SHOP only deals in D-rank items…” I muttered dejectedly as we walked through the streets of Manaloch.

We’d visited a few other shops since we had nothing to lose, but still no luck. And here I’d thought I had a handle on the standards of this world, but it turned out that D-rank items were valued super highly. What kind of epic collection had Lunaère been maintaining?

“Um… Have I been drinking an incredibly high-value potion like it was water?” asked Pomera in dawning horror.

I tried to do some quick math. Blue Moon, a D-rank item, was worth 340,000 gold once you set it in a necklace. Let’s say you doubled the price with each rank, then considering the ranks went F, E, D, C, B, A, S, Legendary, then Godly…a Legendary item like the Blood Ether of the Gods would be insanely expensive.

“Well, I don’t know exactly how much they cost. Maybe ten million gold each?” I said without thinking, throwing out a number I thought might be in the ballpark.

Actually, that meant selling off a few items might be a bad idea, if I was trying to avoid the attention of travelers and humanoid dragons. I wasn’t sure any of these shops even had the cash on hand to buy something like that.

“Ten—t-t-t-ten million?! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Pomera started to hyperventilate and dry heave from the shock. “I had no idea they were that valuable! I’m sorry, I’m so, so, so sorry!”

“I-It’s okay! I’m just guessing the value. And besides, they’re just potions I got from Lunaère-san!”

As I spoke, it hit me that I possibly owed Lunaère somewhere over a hundred million gold. I also had a number of Godly items that I had accepted from her, like the Cursed Mirror of the Warped Realm.

How am I ever going to pay her back?

“K-Kanata, what kind of person is Lunaère, exactly? I can’t even believe that she could be more powerful than you are… And she had all these incredible items…” said Pomera.

“Lunaère-san is, uh, a hermit. She doesn’t really want anything to do with the outside world, so I’d rather not spread too much information about her.”

A hermit and a lich. Going around bragging that I had been trained by an undead immortal with an aura of unholy impurity probably wouldn’t make me many friends. I didn’t know much about the local church, but I knew I’d rather stay on their good side, let alone put Lunaère on their radar.

“Kanata, you really care for Lunaère, don’t you? You always seem so concerned for her. That must make an old lady like her very happy,” Pomera said with a gentle smile.

“I-It’s a bit rude to call her an old lady!” I said, suddenly offended.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” Pomera clapped her hand over her mouth as her cheeks turned pink.

Then I remembered that I’d told Pomera that Lunaère was eighty years old.

“Sorry, i-it’s not a big deal,” I said, clearing my throat and trying to play it off. I made a mental note to try and keep my story straight in the future.

“That’s okay, Kanata. I just… I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me about Lunaère. I-I understand that she might not be the kind of person who’s exactly open about everything.” Pomera squeezed her staff and looked at me dubiously.

I grinned uncomfortably. I didn’t like the direction this conversation was going.

“Kanata, Kanata! Philia wants to go look at clothes!” Philia said, grabbing the sleeve of my robe. Her eyes sparkled as she pointed to a store in the distance with her free hand.

What a save! Her timing couldn’t have been better. Had she bailed me out on purpose?

“All right, let’s go, Philia-chan. Maybe we can find something affordable to buy. We might as well give up on finding those ingredients anyway,” I said.

“Yay! Philia loves you, Kanata!” she said, hugging me around the waist. I patted her head as I peeled her off, then we headed toward the clothing store.

Pomera huffed, unsatisfied with my explanation. Either way, she quickly follow along.

Then she stopped, and her entire body shuddered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I-It’s nothing. I just…shivered? Maybe I’m coming down with something,” she said, looking uncertain.

Philia’s eyes opened wide. She brushed off my hand and jumped in front of us.

“Philia-chan?” I felt a presence in the distance a moment later. It was unsettling, yet somehow familiar.

With their face obscured by the hood of a heavy, black robe, an unknown figure stood on the roof of a tall building in the distance. Magic formulas written in blood-red characters blanketed their garment. The meaning of the characters was obscured by the extreme distance, but I could tell at a glance that this was the work of a high-level magic user.

Pomera seemed to be sensitive to whatever aura the mysterious figure was giving off, possibly because she was a half-elf. For her part, Philia probably noticed it because she was a homunculus—made of magic and attuned to its flow. Either way, the girls had a much keener sixth-sense than I did.

The figure stared down at me, not moving an inch. Hair like white silk fluttered under the robe’s hood.

Before I could react, Philia raised her hands and faced the magic user on the roof.

“Philia-chan, calm down!” I begged, but she was fixated on her target. Her expression was no longer that of an innocent girl—it was filled with focus and caution.

“Kaboom!” Philia clapped her hands together.

The roof heaved and transformed into a giant red and green face beneath the black-robed stranger. Even though this maneuver was possibly about to give us away, I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the power of the Sand of Dreams. I could barely believe that Philia could affect such a large structure so quickly.

The roof-face stretched its mouth wide toward the sky, then swiftly snapped the magic user between its jaws.

“Got ’em!” said Philia with a satisfied smirk. But an instant later, the magic user reappeared from the giant head’s blind spot. From Philia’s perspective, the giant had eaten the magic user, but they had dodged at the last moment.

“Philia-chan! Stop that right now!” I shouted.

The magic user stretched a hand out of their sleeve, then pulled off their glove between their teeth. They poked the giant face lightly with two fingers, and it went slack, unable to move, as if it were paralyzed.

Philia’s whole body rocked, almost falling to the ground. I swiftly caught her before she fainted.

“Ugh… Sorry, Kanata. Philia’s tired…” said Philia, cross-eyed. She went limp in my arms.

She seemed unharmed, but this was an important lesson: both the giant and her human body were undoubtedly Philia. She shared her HP and MP pool with whatever she summoned using the Sand of Dreams. In other words, any status effect used on one of her summoned forms affected her main body too.

Rainbow light danced around the giant’s reddish-brown face as it slowly morphed back into another part of the roof. Some of the city’s residents screamed at the sight and pointed at the figure standing on the peak.

“K-Kanata, isn’t Philia an incredibly high level?” asked Pomera, fear in her voice.

She was. But whoever was standing on that roof was clearly in a whole other league.

On top of that, the stranger seemed to understand that Philia and the giant face were connected. That was the only reason I could think of to explain why they’d used such a strange fighting style to incapacitate Philia; they’d effectively stopped her from shifting more energy into her summoned manifestation. Either they knew about the Sand of Dreams already, or they had figured out what was going on exceptionally quickly.

Moreover, whoever it was, while they were incredibly powerful, they had held back and opted for a relatively gentle victory in lieu of causing Philia lasting harm.

The magic user took the glove from their mouth and slipped it back onto their hand before turning to face me. Then they leapt from the roof, disappearing from sight.

I dropped my eyes to Philia. She was down for the count, but she didn’t seem hurt.

“Sorry, Philia-chan! Pomera-san, take care of her for a moment! I’ve got to find out what’s going on!”

“Y-you want me to look after Philia?!” cried Pomera in bewilderment as she hugged Philia to her.

“Yes! Besides, I don’t really think that person means us any harm. I think they just reacted when Philia attacked without provocation.”

I was certain that person could have really hurt Philia if they wanted. Besides, I felt like I knew them. Their height, their hair…they were an exact match for Lunaère. I had to get to the bottom of this.

If they had been any closer, I might have been able to make out Lunaère’s signature red fade at the tips of her hair. If that was her, it explained a lot—the absurd power, the unsettling aura, and the high-level robes. I just hoped Philia’s preemptive strike hadn’t angered my favorite lich.

I still had a hard time believing Lunaère would leave Cocytus, especially after what she’d said when she sent me away. She’d lived in the dungeon for a thousand years, and I doubted that she would suddenly decide to take a stroll on the surface for no reason at all. And what was with the black robes and long-distance surveillance? This was shaping up to be quite the mystery.

I rushed to the base of the building where Philia had summoned the giant face. I couldn’t sense any aura and had no idea which direction the mysterious stranger might have gone.

“Did you see that creepy person standing on the roof just now?” said a passerby, “Where’d they go?”

“Is this some fight between two adventurers?” asked another.

Seemed like the locals were just as clueless as I was. I needed to go up higher. Running up a nearby wall, I climbed onto the roof. Still no signs of the magic user, and the trail went cold.

“Maybe it wasn’t Lunaère-san…” I muttered to myself. She wouldn’t have a reason to attack me or a reason to run away. Maybe I had just zeroed in on the tiny details that happened to match because I missed her and wanted to see her again.

But if the figure wasn’t Lunaère, that meant we had caught the attention of someone more powerful than Zolophilia. I didn’t know if they saw us as enemies, but this wasn’t an ideal situation. I should have gotten closer right away and used Status Check to see their level. Next time, I would. I doubted this was the last we’d see of our new friend.

That Alfred had said something about an S-rank adventurer in the city, but that she was retired. Maybe the figure had been her.

Then I started to hear voices from below.

“H-hey, did you just see a guy run up that wall?”

“I think you’re seeing things.”

“But there’s a footprint right over there!”

Not good. I hadn’t thought things through because I’d been convinced the stranger was Lunaère. We’d worked hard to keep a low profile, and I had possibly just flushed it down the drain. It was time to get down and go back to acting normal for a while.

“Short Gate.” I formed a magic circle and dropped into a vacant alley before setting off to find the girls.

 

—8—

 

PHILIA STILL SEEMED unsteady as she leaned on Pomera for support.

“What happened, Kanata?” asked Pomera.

I shook my head. “I lost them. They’re most likely more powerful than me, so it’s a good thing it didn’t end in a fight.”

Pomera’s face paled as I spoke. “D-does a human like that even exist?” she gasped with a cry.

Philia’s eyes had been closed, but she jumped at the loud noise.

“There are plenty of people stronger than me,” I said, a bit miffed that Pomera still thought I was some sort of freak. “People’s levels just tend to be at either extreme. Lunaère-san always told me I should be on guard, since I’d never know what sort of danger I might encounter.”

The average adventurer seemed to be below level one hundred, but there were people like Philia or the black-robed stranger who were around my level, or even higher. Not so many in the middle, though.

That didn’t mean I’d never encounter danger. I had learned the Twin Minds Method for the specific purpose of being able to hold my own against high-level threats, but I preferred to avoid fights when possible.

“That’s just…uurgh.” Pomera stumbling over her words as she tried to come to terms with the idea.

“We don’t know if they’re hostile to us, but we should be on the lookout just in case,” I said.

Philia had attacked because she overreacted. It was possible that would lead to an unnecessary confrontation in the future. We needed to prevent misunderstandings, and it occurred to me that it might be a better idea to leave Manaloch before we drew any more attention.

Regardless, a magic user with that kind of skill was probably famous. I figured it shouldn’t be hard to find information about them. Still…I couldn’t shake the feeling that they resembled Lunaère. I needed to confirm their identity.

“Are you giving up on gathering ingredients then?” asked Pomera.

“Yeah…” I said dejectedly. “I don’t think there’s any point in continuing to look here in Manaloch.”

In order to get high-ranked items, I’d probably have to make a lot of connections with high-level adventurers or head back to Cocytus to find them myself.

That’s when I heard some people talking as they passed behind us.

“Did you hear they’ve developed a new alchemy spell? It’s hugely impacted the way the Mithril Wand prices things.”

“So what? It’s not like we can afford high-end stuff now.”

“Jeez. Have a little ambition.”

I stopped in my tracks and faced them.

“Excuse me! Could you tell me about this Mithril Wand?” I asked.

“Huh? You’re in Manaloch and you’ve never heard of the Mithril Wand?” asked a tall, thin man with a snort of derisive laughter.

This city had an attitude problem.

“Well, all right,” he continued. “The Mithril Wand is the most advanced alchemy consortium in the city. They even sell goods to the public—partly out of the goodness of their hearts, partly to keep funding their research. Getting their products in adventurers’ hands also helps advance their agenda. No one else can even compete.”

I’d been worried that he wasn’t going to tell me anything, but once he got on a roll, the information came spilling out.

“That sounds like an incredible group…” I said.

“You have no idea, buddy!” he said with a patronizing smile. “There’re tons of people who come to Manaloch just to see the Mithril Wand. Based on your robes, I’d guess you’re a magic user too. Surprising…”

“Sorry, I’m new in town…” I said, shrugging with embarrassment.

The short woman who was with the man slapped him lightly on the arm. “Don’t act so full of yourself. It’s not like you’ve got a connection with the Mithril Wand.”

He shot her an annoyed glare.

Huh, the Mithril Wand sounds kind of exclusive. Maybe they would have the ingredients I need. But if they did, the cost would porbably break our budget. Still, there was no harm in checking it out and asking for a price.

“Um… So where is this store of theirs?” I asked.

“It’s just down that street,” said the woman, trying to cut the conversation short. She seemed in a hurry to be somewhere else.

The man, on the other hand, stepped over. “Today’s your lucky day, pal. I’m going in that direction, and I’ll show you the way.”

“Really? That would be helpful. We’re feeling pretty lost,” I said.

“Yeah, leave it to me,” said the man with a smirk.

“You’re a real jerk, Kevin. You know that?” called the woman. The man just grinned and waved back at her.

“Hey, I’m on the level! This guy just wants to go to the Mithril Wand, so I’m being an upstanding citizen and taking him there. You go on ahead.”

The woman gave Kevin the stink-eye, but she looked away when I met her gaze. She turned to head off in a different direction.

I feel like I’m missing something.

“Are those two with you too?” asked the man with a look toward Philia and Pomera. Pomera was looking at me pensively.

“They are. But, uhh…” I started.

“Well, have them come along too, then. It’s not like I’ve got all day,” said the man.

“O-okay,” I said, with a small bow of my head. I motioned for the girls to follow.

“Thank you so much, uh…” I started.

“You can call me Kevin,” he said.

“Kevin-san, thank you for showing us the way. My name is Kanata, this is Pomera-san and this is Philia-chan,” I said, indicating the two behind me. Philia happily gave a big wave, but Pomera just frowned, looking somewhat uneasy.

“No need to thank me. Actually, most people who go to the Mithril Wand are high-class magicians. Can’t hurt to be owed a favor or two, am I right?” said Kevin, turning to us with a loaded grin.

“Ah… Of course, we’ll repay you if we ever get the chance…” I said.

“C’mon, I’m just yanking your chain. Relax.” Kevin looked satisfied at the sight of my uncomfortable smile, then turned forward again. I wanted to believe he was a good person, but he was starting to rub me the wrong way. Still, humanity would be done for if people couldn’t accept the generosity of others. Probably.

“K-Kanata, are you sure about this guy? He makes me a little uncomfortable…” Pomera whispered in my ear. I tried to look confident, but Pomera eyed Kevin with uncertainty.

It should be fine… This seems like a busy and safe part of town. I don’t get the impression he’s taking us to some shady alley.

On the way, I had secretly used Status Check on Kevin, and he was at best a D-rank adventurer. I didn’t think this would turn into a problem that I couldn’t solve.

Eventually, we came to a tall tower that had been elegantly whitewashed. A large clock with carved reliefs of angels was set high up on the building.

“Here we are. This is the Mithril Wand, the very heart of Manaloch. Only people with connections to the consortium can get past the lobby.”

“It does have a majestic feel,” I said.

Two shining statues of silver griffons were perched on either side of the doorway. Kevin said this was a store, but it didn’t seem the kind of place where customers just walked in off the street. In fact, very few people were coming and going from the building.

Can we really go in? I don’t think we belong…even if it does seem like the kind of place that has what I need.

I glanced behind me. Pomera looked like she wanted to leave immediately.

“It’s so pretty! It looks fun!” said Philia. She’d clearly regained her energy after recovering from that altercation a few minutes ago.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to go in?” asked Kevin.

Pomera was silent, but her eyes met mine and shouted, Let’s stop here!

“W-well, actually…” I stammered.

“Seriously? I went out of my way to lead you here,” said Kevin, with a playful smile that didn’t extend to his eyes.

Pomera, being Pomera, gave me a look that said, Tell him no!

“I was thinking I’d just ask them if we could have a tour of the place,” I lamely mumbled.

“Oh, really? Well, let me see you to the entrance,” said Kevin with a creepy smile.

“K-Kanata!” Pomera whispered as she moved close to me. “I don’t think we’ll be welcome here! This guy is just trying to make fun of you.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered back. “I just don’t know how I can turn him down. And if he really is just being nice—”

“I’m certain he isn’t!”

“Well, I get that feeling too! But wouldn’t you feel weird making a fuss and leaving after he’s come all this way?”

Pomera’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, and she looked up at me glumly. “Kanata, you walk right into these problems, don’t you?”

“Sorry. I’ll go in alone. You can just wait nearby.”

“If you’re going in, I’m going in too.”

“I really am sorry…” I bowed my headed slightly to Pomera.

Kevin was grinning as he watched, but he looked away quickly as soon as we turned back to him.

“Philia wants to touch those statues!” said Philia. At least someone was enjoying herself.

We passed between the statues and quietly entered the building. Inside, a woman in a gray robe stood behind

a reception counter. Her robe was embroidered with a bluish-white wand.

“Are you members of the public?” she asked as she looked warily at our ragtag group.

“Oh, I’m just their guide,” said Kevin with an obsequious smile as he took two steps back. The receptionist looked at him with annoyance. Then she turned her gaze on me, Pomera, and Philia with a sigh of absolute disinterest.

Ugh, another setup.

 

—9—

 

“DO YOU INTEND to purchase anything today?” asked the receptionist.

“Y-yes. But I don’t have very much money on me at the moment. I was hoping I could just browse a little…” I said falteringly.

“May I have the name of the alchemist you’ve scheduled a meeting with?”

“Uh, I don’t have one…”

“The general public may only enter if they are attended by a member of the Mithril Wand,” said the receptionist, her tone indicating that she said this several times a day and wished she could just put a sign on the door.

I glared at Kevin.

“Did you intend to enter the Mithril Wand with that child?” she asked, looking at Philia with vague disgust. “There is no explicit rule against it, but that just won’t do. I will have to ask you to leave her outside.”

Philia jumped in surprise. She grabbed my robe and tried to hide behind me by squeezing herself smaller. Then she took a deep breath as if to steel herself against a grave challenge.

“Philia will wait outside,” she declared.

But the way things were going, I didn’t think any of us would be getting in. We didn’t have an appointment, and I didn’t think we’d be able to just grab a passing alchemist and make one on the spot. Our only choice was to leave and get away from Kevin as quickly as possible before he could embarrass us any further.

“Do you have a pass for entry?” the receptionist continued. “If not, you’ll need to submit an application for review. You should have the results in a week.”

“And if we pass the review, we’ll be allowed in?” I asked. Even if it might take a while, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope in the middle of this prank. Maybe we could actually get into the Mithril Wand. A week was a long time, but it wasn’t like we had other plans.

“Well, members of the public that wish to enter must obtain a special recommendation or be at least a B-rank with the Adventurers’ Guild. Although meeting either requirement doesn’t mean you are certain to pass the review.”

B-rank or higher? Pomera and I are still only C-rank.

We only needed to raise our rank by one, but that was easier said than done. Ranks in the Guild were determined more by results than by your strength. Even if we worked hard, it could take years to move up. And even then, our application to the Mithril Wand wasn’t guaranteed.

“Something wrong?” Kevin pounced on the opportunity to gloat. “Are you going to apply? You wanted to head to the Mithril Wand as soon as you heard it was the most advanced alchemy research institution in Manaloch, so I assumed you were some sort of famous magic user.”

What a jerk! The nerve of is guy, to go all this way and guide us just for the chance to make fun of us.

Philia started to level her arm toward Kevin, her expression blank. I quickly put my hand on her wrist and gently pushed it back down. As gratifying as it would be to watch Kevin eat a Gravity Bomb, it would bring down the building too.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware of how things worked here. I apologize for wasting your time,” I said with a bow toward the receptionist.

“Hey, hey, you’re giving up pretty easy. I guess that’s what I’d expect from a country bumpkin pretending to be a magic user. While you’re at it, you can apologize to me for wasting my time too,” said Kevin, cutting in.

Just as I was about to respond, the door opened and a heavyset man in a robe stormed into the room. He looked to be around fifty years old with a face carved deep with wrinkles, but his eyes had a fierce, strong-willed glint. A coarse white beard dominated his face, and magic necklaces hung around his neck, while his wrists were covered in magic bracelets.

The receptionist jumped and stood up straight. “Welcome back, Mr. Garnet. How was your business at the Adventurers’ Guild today?”

“I wouldn’t know—I was busy elsewhere. One of my assistants handled it,” he said, gruffly.

This Garnet fellow seemed to be someone important within the Mithril Wand. He carried himself with a certain dignity that was just shy of intimidating. Pomera, Kevin, and I all instinctively stepped back out of the way so he could walk past. Philia was the only one who remained where she was, entirely oblivious.

“His beard looks crunchy,” said Philia. I quickly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to the edge of the room.

He turned to face Pomera, who had bowed and quickly stepped away to make room for Garnet to pass. However, he just stepped with her, so he remained standing in front of the white mage.

“Well, it looks like my search has reached an end,” said Garnet. “A little bird told me you were seen coming to the Mithril Wand, and it seems like my timing was perfect.”

“O-oh… D-do you have something you’d like to speak with me about?” Pomera trembled and tried to shrink into her beret.

Garnet stared at her for a moment, then nodded deeply. “I heard about you from a subordinate of mine who recently returned from a trip, Saint Pomera. To think, the savior of Arroburg—a magic user who is as powerful as an S-rank—would come to our humble city of Manaloch. I am honored to make your acquaintance.”

Kevin gaped in surprise. Pomera’s eyes pleaded with me for help.

“I’m not sure why you’ve chosen to visit the Mithril Wand. To be honest, I have no specific business with you. But…I was hoping we could speak so I could get a feel for what kind of person you are,” Garnet continued with a warm smile.

“O-oh, I’m not really all that special, um…” stammered Pomera. She seemed utterly lost for what to say.

Garnet clapped his hands together happily. “Wonderful! I heard you were quite modest, and I’m happy to see the rumors are true. Though I think you may be a bit too humble, Miss Pomera. There aren’t many in this country who could defeat a humanoid dragon. Even within Manaloch, I can only think of one other who would be capable of such a feat.”

The more Garnet spoke, the paler Kevin and the receptionist turned. Sweat began to pour down their faces.

“I-I think something else forced the humanoid dragon away. I just limited the damage he caused. There are so many people who are much more amazing than me… Like over there,” said Pomera with a desperate glance at Philia and me.

“Hmm… Well, there must be some extraordinary reason for someone so powerful to remain yet unknown to the world. But I have no intention of making any undue assumptions, so please, don’t worry. I apologize if I’ve caused you any discomfort,” said Garnet with a few bobs of his head, followed by Pomera’s sigh of relief. “To be honest, I wanted to confirm that you weren’t a danger to the city. I would be remiss in my duty as an administrator if I didn’t. I assure you, I had no other intentions in mind, and I am quite relieved to find you to be trustworthy.”

That seemed reasonable. If a town elder suspected a person with S-rank abilities had entered the city, they’d probably want to take the measure of their character as soon as possible. If the relationship between that adventurer and the city turned sour, there might be serious consequences.

“O-oh, I see…” said Pomera, trying to bring the conversation to a close. She seemed to be debating if she should mention me or not.

If my true level was known, it might make me a target for anyone trying to make a name for themselves. The same went for Pomera. Anyone coming after her would be in Lovis’s league, whereas anyone who knew my level would need to be as powerful as Zolophilia or Lunaère. I felt bad that Pomera had to worry about that—but by keeping my level a secret, I could act as her ace in the hole and protect her if anyone decided to take a gamble.

Anyway, the people who knew about her were pretty few and far between outside of Arroburg. I didn’t think that this encounter increased our general risk level by all that much.

“Pomera,” said Garnet, “did you and your companions come for a pass to enter the Mithril Wand? We can’t let suspicious characters come and go as they please in the heart of Manaloch. Normally, application reviews tend to take some time. But…for convenience’s sake, you can use me as your reference and cut down the hassle. How does that sound?”

I gulped. It was a suggestion I could have only dreamed of.

“Well, we weren’t aware of the rules here. It seems non-members like us can’t even apply unless we’re B-rank adventurers…” murmured Pomera, and Garnet’s expression’s darkened.

“I see, so you refused them an application?” Garnet turned and glowered at the receptionist. “Miss Pomera seems agitated. Did you say something rude to her?”

“N-no, sir! I was just explaining the rules! I never expected this to happen!” The receptionist was trembling visibly.

Garnet narrowed his eyes, but his smile quickly returned when he faced Pomera again. “I do apologize, Pomera. There are quite a few…elitists in Manaloch. They often give visitors the cold shoulder. I hope you haven’t been offended,” he said.

I couldn’t argue. We had visited a lot of different shops dealing in magic items, including the Witch Ring, and none of them had been particularly friendly. Their pride in the city’s magical prowess had made them downright arrogant.

“Hmm, so your Guild ranking isn’t that high?” Garnet asked Pomera. “Well, that won’t be a problem. We’ll just make an exception. I want to do everything I can to ensure you have a long and pleasant stay here in Manaloch.”

Garnet’s tone was completely different from when he had addressed the receptionist. As he spoke to Pomera, his voice was filled with warmth. I wondered if authority made people gravitate toward emotional extremes.

“Kanata, you’d like to go in, wouldn’t you?” Pomera asked me.

I nodded meekly. Honestly, I was incredibly excited. If we couldn’t get the A-rank Sap of the Spirit Tree and the S-rank adamantine ore here, then we’d probably have no choice but to find them ourselves.

“All right. Mr. Garnet, if it’s not too much trouble, I would like to accept your offer. Not just me though, I would also appreciate it if Kanata could join us as well…” said Pomera.

“Of course, of course. Your three companions are welcome to join us!” said Garnet with a smile and a nod.

“Sir… The child too…?” the receptionist asked hesitantly. Garnet silently glared at her. She took the hint and bowed. “N-never mind!”

Regardless of the circumstances, it looked like Garnet was going to get us into the Mithril Wand. I let out a sigh of relief, then realized something was amiss.

“W-wait, three companions?” Pomera asked. Apparently she had noticed that, too.

It sounded like Garnet thought Kevin was in our party.

“Sir, that man is a resident of Manaloch, he only guided their group here,” explained the receptionist, and Garnet turned to face Kevin.

“Ah, I see. Thank you for guiding Pomera here…” Then his eyebrows came together in a scowl. “But as a resident of this city, you would know that almost all applications from outsiders are rejected. Would you care to explain to me why, while knowing this fact, you still guided them here?”

“O-oh, well…I-I just…” Kevin’s face paled and sweat ran down his forehead.

Garnet looked quickly between Pomera, the receptionist, and me. That seemed enough for him to guess what had happened. His brow furrowed further as he glared at Kevin.

“It’s people like you that give the people of Manaloch a reputation for being arrogant and mean-spirited! Absolutely shameful. How do you intend to make up for the grief you’ve put Miss Pomera through?” said Garnet.

“U-uh, well… I’ll…” Sweat was practically pooling at Kevin’s feet.

“Oh, just begone! But I’ll remember your face. I won’t tell you to leave Manaloch, but I’d better not catch you hanging around the Mithril Wand again.”

“Y-yes, sir!” Kevin ran away on hurried feet.

Garnet watched him leave, exasperated, but his original smile was back in place by the time he turned to face Pomera again. “Well, that’s cleared up. Allow me to show you around.”

For such a kind man, he certainly had a short fuse.

 

—10—

 

WE FOLLOWED GARNET into the Mithril Wand with our newly issued passes in hand. Plush carpets lined the floor and elegant paintings hung on the walls. Rows of display cases held magic items that looked like works of art.

The people here were unlike anyone in the stores we had visited before. They seemed to be a reserved, scholarly bunch and they bowed their heads to Garnet as they passed. Still, they didn’t pay much attention to me, Pomera, or Philia.

“Philia’s a good girl,” she said. She seemed to have made it a personal mission to be on her best behavior while we were inside the Mithril Wand. Perhaps she had been shocked by the receptionist’s refusal to let her enter.

“You are a good girl, and thank you. It helps me out a lot.” I patted her head gently and she smiled contentedly. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how strict this place was.”

I was sure she could have waited outside if it came down to it. Well, mostly sure. …A little sure. I was just relieved we wouldn’t have to find out. I could do without a surprise First Dragon in the sky when we got done with our tour.

Pomera wouldn’t have recognized adamantine ore on her own, even if I lent her the Acacia Memoirs. She also wouldn’t know how to check for other ores that might work as substitutes if adamant was unavailable. Garnet wasn’t going to give a tour to me without Pomera either. It was good we were all still a happy group that didn’t have to split up.

While I was dividing my attention between Philia and the magic items in the cases, Garnet was busy bending Pomera’s ear with all sorts of conversation. She was doing her best to answer, but she was still glancing over at me in hope of rescue. I tried inserting myself into their chat a few times, but to no avail. Garnet wanted to talk to her, not me. Eventually I gave up, unwilling to annoy our new patron.

I went back to looking at the items on display. Each case had a plaque describing the item inside. The quality of the items here was worlds away from what I’d seen in the shops; this was the real deal. I was sure to find adamant here.

But there was one critical problem that needed to be addressed.

“Excuse me, Garnet-san,” I said as I risked barging into their conversation again. “The reason we visited today was to see if you had an item we were looking for. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of money at the moment. I wouldn’t want to waste your time when we might not be able to purchase anything…”

If D-rank items could cost 340,000 gold, An S-rank item like adamantine ore might well be completely out of our price range. We needed it badly, but our current budget just couldn’t support it.

“Is that so? Well, for Saint Pomera, I’m willing to extend a line of credit. I would like to form a long-lasting relationship with you, after all.” Garnet smiled warmly as he spoke. It was a tempting offer, but I worried about being in debt to such a powerful person.

“Well then, what are you looking for, Miss Pomera?” asked Garnet.

“U-uh, an ore. Right, Kanata?” Pomera looked back at me for confirmation. I nodded in confirmation.

Garnet watched us appraisingly, trying to gauge our relationship. When she turned back to Garnet, he smiled again like nothing was amiss.

“An ore, eh? Leave it to me. You won’t be disappointed with our collection,” said Garnet proudly. “It rivals even the selection at the Royal Institute of Alchemy.”

We followed Garnet up a set of stairs and into a room on the third floor.

Garnet explained, “Now, in general, only members of the Mithril Wand or those who have had a pass for more than ten years are allowed in here, but…my authority allows me to bend the rules a bit.”

Glass display cases were arrayed around the large room, each one containing an arrangement of various minerals. It was truly impressive to see such an exhaustive collection on display.

“Wow, so pretty!” said Philia in admiration, but then realized she’d let that slip and clamped her hands over her mouth.

“Yes, they are, aren’t they?” said Garnet, lowering his head a little to look Philia directly in the face. “We take great care in arranging them. If there’s something you particularly like, I could give you a necklace made with it—as a little present.”

“Really?!” Philia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

I felt the blood draining from my face. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the ores here were close to a million gold each. Just because it was a gift didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a price to be paid down the road.

“Ph-Philia-chan, I don’t want to be rude to Garnet-san, but I think it’s best if you don’t take anything,” I said.

“Oh… Well, if you say so.”

“If I get enough money, I’ll buy you something instead.”

“A present from Kanata?! Yay! Philia will wait!” She flapped her arms about and squirmed, then realized she was being loud again and pressed her hands over her mouth.

“Ho ho, you don’t have to worry about making a little noise,” said Garnet. “There’s no one else but us in the room right now.”

Garnet led us around the room, and I looked at all the ingots and ores on display.

“This one is Manaloch steel. The Mithril Wand produces this using our proprietary alchemical process. What do you think? Isn’t the slightly reddish-silver color beautiful?” Garnet indicated a striking rectangle of polished metal, almost twenty inches long. If it were worked, it would probably be just about enough to make one sword. “Manaloch steel is a high-performance metal that can still be easily forged into useful objects. It’s an alloy of a number of rare metals. Even at the Mithril Wand, there are so few people capable of making Manaloch Steel that I could count them on one hand.”

It sounded like this metal was the culmination of the Mithril Wand’s research. The value of the base metals was multiplied by the expertise and skill of the alchemists that labored to create the final product. It was almost certainly not cheap.

“M-might I ask, about how much does it cost?” said Pomera hesitantly.

“Ah, yes. Generally, an ingot of this size would be sold for 1.5 million gold.”

“Wow, 1.5 million…” I repeated before I could stop myself. Even though I had mentally prepared myself for this possibility, I hadn’t thought prices would so quickly exceed one million. The difference in price between high- and low-ranked items was as extreme as the difference in level between high- and low-ranked adventurers.

We couldn’t get that kind of money if we spent our time casually completing low-rank requests at the Guild. As it turned out, S-rank items were absurdly expensive. I should have known.

It was time to change our income strategy. We would probably be more efficient in terms of money making if we completely ignored Guild requests and focused on hunting high-value monsters. Maybe it was time to head back to Cocytus.

If we stuck to dispatching level 100 monsters, then we’d come off as about as strong as an A-rank adventurer. We could make decent cash and not attract any unwanted attention.

Besides, there was probably variation in value between S-rank items as well. Since there was no labor involved in making adamantine ore, it was possible that it was cheaper. Hopefully, we were looking at something more in the realm of eight hundred thousand gold.

“Anyway, who cares about Manaloch steel,” said Garnet. “I’m embarrassed by how much I’ve been prattling on. The majority of our ores and metals are on display here. Just tell me what you’re looking for. I know this place like the back of my hand.”

I looked around the room, a bit lost, since I didn’t recognize any of the ores or metals.

“Where do you keep the adamantine ore?” I asked.

“I’m sorry? I must have misheard you. Could you say that again?” Garnet looked at me with an expression of pity.

“We’re looking for adamantine ore…” I said and Garnet’s smile stiffened. Something was off.

I glanced at Pomera and saw her facepalming in embarrassment. She’d seen this coming.

“I-I’m sorry!” I thought fast, trying to backpedal. “I must have mixed some names up in my head and said something really strange!”

I pulled the Acacia Memoirs from my magic bag and thought about the Manaloch Steel as I flipped through the pages.

 

MANALOCH STEEL

Value Rank: C

An alloy developed in the city of Manaloch. Its red-tinted silver sheen is quite beautiful.

This alloy is used to make weapons in Manaloch and other nearby cities. It is favored by B-rank adventurers who have money to spare, as well as A-rank adventurers who are unable to find a more suitable weapon.

Production can’t currently keep up with the alloy’s popularity, but the Mithril Wand keeps the price stable out of goodwill.

 

C-rank?!

I felt the blood drain from my face and an uncomfortable sweat clung to my skin.

I had been sure that S-rank items weren’t all that big a deal, considering they were the third from the top after Godly and Legendary. Heck, I’d literally tripped over S-rank items on the lower floors of Cocytus.

Now I knew for sure that I wouldn’t be able to find adamant in a shop. And if a C-rank item was 1.5 million gold, how much would an S-rank be? Ten Million? Twenty?!

Even if I collected every S-rank item I found before I came here and sold them for the cash, it wouldn’t do me any good. All I’d be able to buy would be a bunch of lousy C-rank items.

How many of those Blood Ethers of the Gods did Lunaère give me to guzzle?! My mind was racing, and I felt sick. My basic sense of how much money was worth had begun to crumble before my eyes.

“Pomera, your companion looks unwell…” murmured Garnet.

“U-uh, may I ask something? Out of curiosity, what’s the highest rank of item this facility provides?” said Pomera.

“The highest available to the public is C-rank. B-rank items are for research purposes only. Why do you ask?”

I cradled my head in my hands. This was devastating.

Garnet’s kind, worried expression stabbed at my heart.

 

—11—

 

AFTER THAT TERRIBLE REVELATION, the tour around the Mithril Wand continued. I was mortified, and having Garnet peer over at me with a concerned look every now and then didn’t help. There was no way I was going to find adamantine or a suitable substitute anywhere in Manaloch.

I somehow managed to survive the near fatal embarrassment, and a few hours later, we walked out the front door.

Mentally and emotionally, I was spent. Pomera and Philia seemed drained as well, so we retired to a tavern.

“So thirsty…” murmured Pomera with a tiny smile. I felt myself tense.

“I don’t actually like alcohol that much. And you…well I’d prefer if you didn’t get drunk. We should just have food and stick to water.” I gave the white mage a stern look.

“W-was I really that horrible?” asked Pomera uneasily.

I forced a smile and made noncommittal gestures with my hands.

“I don’t think you could give a vaguer reply…”

“It’s just best if you don’t ask.”

“S-so I really was that horrible,” she said, hanging her head. “I’m sorry for whatever trouble I caused you.”

In my mind, I saw an image of Pomera, cheerfully slurring my name as she stroked my cheek. Funny in retrospect, but I would prefer to not deal with that again.

“Uh… Anyway, are you giving up on finding that ore?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

I nodded glumly. “Yeah. It seems that we can’t buy anything higher than C-rank in the city. We’ll have to either make some connections or find a way to get the ingredients ourselves.”

I leaned my head on my fist. I should have been more careful about how we used the Blood Ethers of the Gods. Now they were gone forever. I really needed to stop relying on the standards that I’d grown used to in Cocytus.

“I’m sorry, I should have tried to explain it to you better,” said Pomera, looking into the distance. “You were just so full of confidence. I started thinking I was the one who was mistaken…”

“I don’t know what we’ll do though, since we can’t get adamantine ore,” I said. “I wanted to raise your level a little bit more, but it looks like we’ve got to put that on hold.”

“Oh, I think my level is probably high enough anyway…” said Pomera with a tiny hint of a smile.

“Kanata wants something?” asked Philia, sitting next to me in the tavern.

“Yeah, I wanted a rare ore. But it’s about three ranks rarer than I thought. Looks like I’m just out of luck.”

Philia gulped down the food she’d just put in her mouth, then thumped her chest confidently. “Philia will make it for you! What’s its name, Kanata? What’s it look like?”

“You’ll make it for me…?” Well, this was confusing.

“Tell me!”

“It’s called adamantine ore. It’s a very hard, purple stone…”

“Leave it to Philia!”

She squeezed her hand and let out a small grunt of concentration. When she opened her fingers, she was holding a shining purple stone. It certainly looked like adamant!

“Wh-what?!” I shouted in shock, forgetting we were in the restaurant.

“Philia’s amazing, right? Philia’s amazing!” While Philia was shouting proudly, Pomera just sat there looking at her, dumbfounded.

“Hey! Keep it down over there,” warned one of the tavern workers. I’d gotten a little carried away and forgotten where we were.

“Sorry,” I apologized, but I was still boggling at the purplish lump of metal.

“K-Kanata, how exactly did she do that?” asked Pomera.

“Well, Philia’s body is just one big mass of the Sand of Dreams,” I said. “It’s the ultimate alchemical catalyst, and I guess she can make anything she wants. Dragons, adamantine ore…”

It was just too convenient. But the ore was still part of Philia’s body, wasn’t it? Could I really use it in that case? I picked at my dinner, but questions about the Sand of Dreams swam through my head.

After finishing our meal, we went back to my room and I started to examine the ore. Placing the fragment inside a cauldron, I ran a series of tests to determine just what it was Philia had handed me.

“How is it? How is it? Was Philia useful?” Philia asked in excitement.

“Sorry, Philia. It’s not going to work,” I replied with an apologetic smile.

“N-not going to work…?” The shock nearly caused Philia to collapse, but Pomera rushed over to support her.

“But I thought you said that Philia had the power to create all sorts of things,” said Pomera.

“It looks like the real thing, but on a fundamental level, it’s still the Sand of Dreams. Once I break it down below a certain size, it crumbles and merges back with Philia-chan’s body,” I explained.

To top it off, the Acacia Memoirs confirmed that anything she made was still the Sand of Dreams. It looked like her faux ore would be a bust when it came to acting as an alchemical substitute. I had to admit that I was a little relieved, though. The thought of slowly using up Philia-chan’s body to make potions skeeved me out.

That gave me an idea. What if I could use the Sand of Dreams, but not destroy it during the reaction?

“I do think I might be able to make some adamantine ore using the Sand of Dreams as a catalyst,” I said.

“Really? Philia can still be useful?!” Philia recovered from her shock and beamed cheerily.

I hadn’t proven this yet, but I theorized that I could use the Sand of Dreams to start a chain reaction, causing a lower-ranked ore to become adamant. The best part was that it wouldn’t destroy any of the Sand in the process. At its core, the Sand of Dreams had the ability to change a wide range of characteristics in various materials as long as you used it correctly.

Even if I couldn’t make adamantine ore, I might be able to make a something with similar properties that I could use as an ingredient in the Blood Ethers. I was starting to see a path forward.

Now we just needed lots of money.

 

—12—

 

WHILE KANATA floundered in his search for alchemical ingredients, a lone figure clothed in an ominous black robe visited an abandoned church in Manaloch.

The intimidating garment belied the delicate face peering out from beneath the hood. Her doll-like features and porcelain skin were at odds with her fashion choices, no matter how necessary they might be.

Lunaère seemed unsteady and leaned against the church wall. After resting for a moment, she composed herself and removed her hood.

Sticking her arm out into the empty air, she cast a spell. “Space-time Magic Level 8: Dimension Pocket.”

A magic circle appeared in the air, and a gold- and jewel-trimmed treasure chest tumbled from the center. It did a flip as it descended and landed neatly, right side up.

“How’d it go, Lunaère? Did ya find Kanata?” Noble asked, checking to make sure he was still in one piece.

Tears spilled from her expressionless eyes. “…Let’s go back to Cocytus, Noble.”

“Already?!” Noble jumped in shock, but his reaction only yielded a small nod from her. “B-but Lunaère, you worked so hard to make that robe…”

The robe held back the aura of unholy impurity that surrounded all liches. However, it apparently hadn’t been enough to cloak her from Kanata’s companions—both Philia and Pomera had noticed her before she could make contact. Admittedly, the robe wasn’t a total failure. Without it, the entire city would have descended into riots due to her aura’s influence.

Still, it had been a rush job. Lunaère had utilized her every last scrap of knowledge and hunted throughout Cocytus for monsters to provide the materials she needed to make the robe on short notice. It could still use some finishing touches.

“I’ve had enough…” she said with a sniffle. “I’m not a living person like Kanata. I should never have left the dungeon. Even with this on, I still cause chaos.”

“But you’ve seemed so happy since we left the dungeon…” Noble tried to console her.

That was half-true. Lunaère had been in high spirits the day they exited Cocytus, but since then, she’d been showing signs of anxiety and doubt.

Noble had listened to her ramble on as they traveled, giving the occasional encouraging response where he could. But in the end, she kept swinging between hope and fear, saying things like, “Will I get to see Kanata today? Maybe I’ll see him tomorrow. How do I explain everything to him when I do meet him again?”

Lunaère had been ecstatic when she heard he was coming to Manaloch, the City of Magic. She was certain she would meet him here, but here they were instead, in a vacant church.

“My heart is supposed to be dead, yet for some reason, it hurts. I don’t think there’s any hope for me.” Lunaère was clearly losing her nerve. She clutched a hand to her chest as if it hurt, then sank to the ground and hugged her knees.

“Okay. What happened?” asked Noble with a heavy sigh.

Lunaère was silent for a moment. “There was a girl with Kanata. And she was pretty. And she had blonde hair. They seemed to really get along.”

“And?”

“What do you mean and?!”

“There’s a girl he gets along with. So what?”

Lunaère was silent again.

“Lemme see if I’ve got this straight. You took one look at him and this girl. They didn’t seem to hate each other, so you ran away?” Noble wrinkled his lid in irritation. He’d been Lunaère’s friend for many years, but he’d never thought she was this naïve—even for an undead hermit that lived at the bottom of a dungeon.

“That’s not it! I-I thought about observing them more, but there was a little girl. No—a homunculus—who’s really sensitive to the unholy impurity. She attacked me. I was surprised, so I ran away…”

“She attacked even though you had your robe?” Noble knew that the robe wasn’t perfect, but he was dubious that it was ineffective enough to elicit a random attack while Lunaère was innocently walking down the street. “Are you sure you weren’t staring at that blonde girl with, eh…hostile intentions?”

Lunaère’s shoulders shook, and she buried her face in her knees.

Noble let out a heavy sigh. “…Lunaère?”

“I-I didn’t have hostile intentions. Not many.”

“…Not many?”

“I-I was just observing. I was curious about her relationship with Kanata. I swear,” she waved her hands, trying to deflect his suspicion.

“Look…we came this far. How about you try talking to Kanata? No more jumping to conclusions.”

“I can’t do that. I almost let Kanata see me, and…I think he guessed it was me and came running. But how can I face him after the way I made him leave Cocytus? I’ve made such a mess.”

“Then how ’bout you give up on Kanata and we go back to Cocytus?”

“I don’t want to do that…”

“Then we’re right back to having to talk to him.”

Lunaère lifted her head in surprise. Noble was right. If giving up wasn’t an option, then she had no other choice but to talk to Kanata. Putting it off wouldn’t accomplish anything. The situation would just get worse.

“Going full-on stalker then, huh?” muttered Noble, but Lunaère didn’t seem to hear.

She cast Dimension Pocket and withdrew the materials she needed to strengthen the robe. Noble looked on pensively. “Maybe we should go back, before things go south…”